Animation 116: Drawing for Animation II
Course Section Information

Course Description:

This course teaches students advanced drawing skills and techniques to be applied to the development of animation sequences. The emphasis is on creating and developing characters and compositions that effectively support the storytelling. Topics include the creation of realistic and stylized character design, movement and interactions, as well as props, backgrounds, layout and effects.

Teaching and Learning Strategies:

  • You learn how to draw by drawing. Expect to spend the majority of your time practicing the skills we cover. Keeping a sketchbook is required.
  • Feedback from the instructor is crucial to learning. Weekly assignments and projects will be returned promptly with suggestions, comments and information to help the student assess their progress.
  • Lectures will be presented on video.
  • The lectures will be cablecast on The College Channel (Channel 28). Check your Distance Education information or the class calendar for days & times. I recommend you record the lectures so you can pause, rewind and replay to review the material.
  • Videotapes of the lectures can be also checked out from the BCC Library. A tape can be checked out for 48 hours, or viewed in the library.
  • Tapes can also be ordered from BCC Distance Education. Call Distance Education at (425) 564-2438. You can also email Liz Anderson at landerso@bcc.ctc.edu. There are rental and shipping fees for Distance Education courses.
  • Lectures will also be summarized on the WebCT site. An outline of the lecture, with reading assignments will be part of each weekly content module. Slides will be included to explain the visual concepts.
  • Lectures cover the fundamental skills, techniques, and rules to drawing. What the student learns depends on them applying that information to the assignments & projects. At the end of the quarter you will submit your sketchbook(s) to show that you have worked on your drawing skills and kept up with the weekly sketching assignments.

Animation 116 Instructor Contact Information

Instructor: Craig A. Jones

E-mail: crjones@bcc.ctc.edu.

Snail Mail: Craig A. Jones
A242
Bellevue Community College
3000 Landerholm Circle SE
Bellevue
, WA 98007-6484

  • I check the Vista e-mail regularly Monday-Saturday. I also monitor the online bulletin board daily.
  • If you need to see me in person appointments can be made through my e-mail.
  • Things happen. If you have problems with grades, a work schedule or anything that affects your performance in class I prefer you tell me during the quarter. Given enough time we can solve most problems. But at the end of the quarter time shrinks. Minor problems then become crises. Avoid that by being proactive in contacting the instructor.

Supporting Materials:

Textbooks:

The textbooks listed are required. They all are valuable lifelong references.

  • Cartoon Animation by Preston Blair (Walter Foster Publishing, ISBN #1-56010-084-2).
  • Human Anatomy Made Amazingly Easy by Christopher Hart (Watson/Guptill, ISBN #0-8230-2497-0). An easy-to-use reference for the human form.
  • Designing Characters for Animation by Brian Lemay (Self-published, ISBN #0-9699419-1-9).
  • Virtual Pose 2 by Mario Henri Chakkour (Design Books Int'l, ISBN #0-9666383-5-2)
  • How to Draw Animation by Christopher Hart (Watson/Guptill, ISBN #0-8230-2365-6) (this textbook was NOT listed for Media 115)

Materials:

  • Sketchbook(s) (no more than 9x12 or smaller than 51/2x8) a general purpose sketchbook with 60lb weight sheets (50-100 pages)
  • #2 or HB pencils (softer if preferred)
  • 4H or 6H pencil
  • Pink Pearl, Art Gum or other block eraser
  • Ream of Typing, Copier or Printer Paper
  • 3-hole punch, round peg animation bar (required)

Planned Assignments, Projects & Activities:

  • Students will keep a sketchbook. Drawing from life, sketching out ideas or concepts and doodling in your sketchbook daily should become a habit for any animator.
  • During the quarter you will develop the elements for a single animated scene; through storyboard, character development, background to final animation. Each assignment and project is a step in that process.
  • A written competency exam will test your understanding of animation terms and concepts.
  • The final project will be your class sketchbook(s) with all the weekly drawing assignments, planning for class work and personal drawings.

Projects:

  • Project 1: Develop a storyboard from the provided script.
  • Project 2: Animate a character speaking dialogue, syncing to provided audio.
  • Project 3: Animate a character walking in your scene.
  • Final Project: Your class sketchbook(s) with all weekly sketching assignments compiled neatly for review.

Course Schedule:

  • Week 1: Character Development
  • Weeks 2: Story Development
  • Weeks 3: Character Design
  • Weeks 4: Dialogue
  • Week 5 & 6: Character Movement and Animation Principles
  • Week 7 & 8: Layout, Props and Location Design
  • Week 9: Effects
  • Week 10: Color, Composition and Staging

Submissions:

Your score on individual projects & assignments will be determined by grading criteria provided when the project is assigned. Please pay attention to the grading criteria and ask your instructor questions if you are uncertain about any area of the project instructions. You may not resubmit graded projects to earn a higher grade.

Assignments & projects will be posted on Monday of each week. They will be due the following Monday.

Assignments & projects can be:

  • snail mailed to the address at the beginning of the syllabus
  • dropped off in the drop box in front of the Business Division Office (A242) on the BCC campus. Include a stamped, self-addressed envelope so I can return the work as soon as I'm done grading. All assignments will be returned with comments and suggestions.
  • Emailed submissions will NOT be accepted unless prior arrangements have been made.
  • A URL address for your personal website will be accepted for the final project/portfolio.

Deadlines:

  • Drawing assignments & projects must be dropped off or postmarked by the Monday after the assignment is given.
  • Assignments later than 8 days after due date will not be accepted.

If possible, make copies of your work before submitting it to the instructor. Mail and paperwork can get lost or misplaced. Keeping copies protects you from those kinds of errors.

Grading:

Departmental Philosophy on Grading:

To survive and succeed in the information economy, a successful knowledge worker needs to be able to communicate clearly in written and spoken form, synthesize an understanding of scattered data, problem solve around obstacles, and work as a contributing member of a team. An employer wants to know that you can deliver and professionally present a completed project on time. An employer wants to know that you can do work that will stand out from the crowd. With this in mind, your instructor may grade aggressively. Average work typically should receive an average grade (B to B-). if your work exceeds instructor expectations and distances you from the average work other students turn in, it may receive an above average grade (A- to B+). Perfection earns a perfect grade (A). This approach is tough on the GPA. But count it as good practice for an industry that increasingly expects its workers to walk on water. Comparatively speaking, your instructor is the easiest grader you will ever get. The challenge should leave you with a competitive portfolio for a competitive workplace.

Most of the projects in this course will reflect that philosophy. Projects will have a base set of criteria required to earn an average grade. An additional set of criteria or components may help move the project above average. As a student, your goal should be to reach the base criteria for the project first. Add components when you have obtained mastery. A less-than-average project that incorporates advanced components is still a less-than-average project. Learn to walk before you try to run.

Final Grades:

Grading will be based on a 600 point system. Since skill levels vary, grading will stress individual improvement over the course of the quarter. The final project and a final written exam will determine your competency.

  • Weekly Drawing Assignments (270 points possible on 9 submissions with a maximum of 30 points per submission).
  • Projects (180 points possible on 3 submissions with a maximum of 60 points possible per submission).
  • Final Written Exam (80 points possible)
  • Final Project (70 points possible)

Your final letter grade is determined by your scores on activities, projects and assignments. The final rough average will be used to determine your base letter grade:

94% (564pts.) and above earns an A

90% (540pts.) and above earns an A-

87% (522pts.) and above earns a B+

83% (498pts.) and above earns a B

80% (480pts.) and above earns a B-

77% (462pts.) and above earns a C+

73% (438pts.) and above earns a C

70% (420pts.) and above earns a C-

67% (402pts.) and above earns a D+

60% (360pts.) and above earns a D

59% (354pts.) and below earns an F

The Media program does not support offering an Incomplete as a submitted grade. If you need to withdraw from the class, please do so by the deadline published in the school calendar.

 

Copyright and Plagiarism:

This course requires you to have the rights cleared for any graphic, text, animation, video or audio material that you use in your assignments & projects. A limited set of rights cleared materials will be available in class. The source of all materials that are not your own creation must be documented and submitted with your project. Any undocumented or non-cleared materials will earn a failing grade for the project in question.

Your personal projects are considered your intellectual property and copyrighted to you. Bellevue Community College retains the rights to use those projects for example and evaluative purposes

Miscellaneous:

Student Services:

The project work submitted this quarter may make use of your presentation, and writing skills to assess your understanding of the class content. If you need help with your writing skills, please make use of the Writing Lab in D-221 (425-641-2493). If you have (or think you might have) a disability that will have an impact on your learning, please take the time to register with Disabled Student Services in B-233 (425-641-248) within the first week of the quarter. In that way, you can properly notify your instructor of your disability and meet to discuss its implications on your class work or attendance.

Variations:

As a new course, this class and section information are subject to announced variations in content and scoring from what is printed here.

Revision History:

2-12-2008 (Craig A. Jones) Section Information for Animation 116.